After 12 days of conflict over the supply of gas between Russia and Ukraine a deal has finally been struck. The agreement between Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko states that Ukraine will allow Russia to use themselves as a transit for gas supplies to Europe in exchange for a 20 percent discount on gas supplies. This agreement does not solve the all the issues that has arisen between these two countries, but it allows the gas to be turned back on.
Tensions are still high. It remains to be seen if Russia and Ukraine can play nice with eachother. However, Russia is disappointed at the EU for not being a little more 'proactive.' What he means by 'proactive' is forcing Ukraine to concede to Russian demands.
The topic is yet to be closed however. It is unlikely if Russia will adopt the European Energy Charter which would force competition onto the energy market and possibly prevent a crisis like this from happening again.
This article is an update on a previously post and is a major issue that Europe has been faced with. This shows just how far Russia can possibly extend their reach, especially in times of extreme cold. Russia seems to have more power than the world would like to believe.
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